Megan Thee Stallion scored an important early victory in her court battle with her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment.
The label entered a request for a pre-trial ruling that Something for Thee Hotties doesn’t qualify as an album under Megan’s contract. However, a Texas judge rejected 1501 Certified Entertainment’s motion, according to a Rolling Stone report.
In September 1501 filed a motion arguing that Something for Thee Hotties was not an “album” under Megan’s contract. They requested the court forgo the trial and rule the project failed to meet the contract’s definition of an album because it included previously shared songs and purportedly “failed to follow the proper approval procedures.”
Megan Thee Stallion replied in December, arguing that she complied with her contract and should be given the chance to fight the case at trial. The Grammy Award-winning rapper claimed the freestyles and skits included on Something for Thee Hotties do not qualify as “previously-unreleased,” as they were never sold commercially.
“If there is any ambiguity around the term ‘previously-unreleased,’ it should be reserved as a question of fact for the jury,” her response reads.
Furthermore, Megan Thee Stallion claims 300 Entertainment bought the exclusive distribution rights for her albums in 2018. She also states 1501 were kept “apprised of developments” ahead of the album’s release, and 300 Entertainment gave the label a link to Something for Thee Hotties at least three days prior to its release. According to Megan, 1501 “asserted no objection” until the album had been out for two months.
Following the judge’s ruling, Megan Thee Stallion’s $1 million lawsuit against 1501 will now proceed to trial.
